First post...first advice needed

05-06-2012, 07:07 AM

Hi this is my first post as I'm a 49 y old beginner. I'm 5,9 high and 155 lbs and I started surfing last year in my country (Italy) on 3 ft waves. After some initial problems finding the best personal pop up tech due to back problems, after 10 hours practice I started having fun surfing straight with very smooth front side turns on a soft top 9ft school board.

I don't have balance problems couse I love skiing and I now want a new board which could help me improve. After looking at a walden mega magic 7.2 which I saw in a store, I discovered on this forum the Addvance....now the question, given what I said above, would It be smarter to choose a 7.2 or a 7.6 Addvance? Bear in mind that the surf size will be from 2 to 6 ft, mostly time about 3 to 4.

hey rob,
at your weight i think i would push you towards getting the 702. you certainly don't need all the volume of the 706 in order to float and catch waves, but the 702 length will feel stable and be easy to paddle. that would be my initial suggestion...

Hope this helps!!

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I started thinking of 7.2 lengths since the very first moment I started dreaming my own new board.
What has slowed down my decision is my surf instructor who, mainly for my poor paddling, has always pushed me towords the over 8 ft "classical" longboards. I understand that with a 9 ft and low rocker profile board would be easier to paddle and start with a 3 ft and below wave, but at the same time I don't want to buy a sturdy "truck" board like the one I used for the lessons.
I have always loved rapid and short slalom carves on the snow and that would be the tendency on the sea too....at least that would be my desire:-)

If from your experiece you think that a 7.2 Addvance might be simple to paddle even on the summer low italian waves and might help me to learn to turn with less effort than the 7.6, I'll certanly go for the shorter one...by the way the italian Firewire distributor is very near to my surfing spot in Tuscany....yea!!!

I've surfed my 6'6" addvance in up to 6' on local points (doesn't often get bigger than this around here anyway) . Handled it well but if you have to duckdive lots of set waves on larger sized beachbreaks it can be tiring due to volume.
Having said that I've got almost 20 more kgs on you to help push the board under.
Places that are longboard friendly are an addvances' feeding ground.

Hey Terry, It is a board that is tough to duckdive, but in smaller beach breaks, or bigger points/reefs it is great. i think its does fine in bigger stuff and is certainly good in smaller stuff. the people who have most success in bigger waves are taking it out to points, reefs or places with channels. If you have that kind setup, then I think it will work great in bigger waves.

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Interesting replies for a beginner like me....just to get it well, and understood obviously that a "big" nose rocker makes turning easier but paddling harder, it's better for a beginner to use boards with small rocker or something like the Addvance?
I hope I explained my thoughts well...which is the smartest way to keep the learning curve easy and friendly, using easy longboards or shifting as soon as possible to boards like the Addvance or which other?....advices are wellcome :-)
Thanks!

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While all the increased "deck space" of a longboard or mini-mal can make them easier for a beginner to use than a high performance shortboard, I think a board like the Addvance is actually a much better call. Why?

1. It will paddle nearly as well as a longboard.
2. It will be much more forgiving on takeoffs.
3. Much easier to manoeuvre in the water in the sense of making quick direction changes when chasing waves.
4. Easier to get to and from the beach.
5. Better to learn to turn.

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I agree with Buzzy's comments; the Addvance will boost your surfing to a higher level, especially in waist high and up to a good 5ft. I will add a cautionary note - When beginning it tends to be more likely you will ding the board - not always, but remember the Addvance is a quality board - if water gets in, the board needs to be removed from the water to dry out or damage will happen and tears of sadness result. By all means go the Addvance, but doo look after it.

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Well, thanks to all of you!
I understand and, even if beginner, I agree to the "sense" of your unswers which I find very logic.
It's easy to imagine that a mid size "deck space" board with the volume of a classic longboard will be easier to be managed by a "technical lacking" surfer.
I think at this point that I'll go for the 7.6 Addvance, given the knee high average surf on my seaside....wich is a 25km sand beach...usually small and steep waves but at least no ding danger for the board....except for bycicle transportation :).
Thanks!